The Silver Trio: Year of the Prank War
by Nezzy McGee
Summary: The Sorting Ceremony of 2017 is chock-full of surprises. When expectations are upturned, it doesn't take long for Scorpius, Albus, Rose, and friends to get into all sorts of trouble. (The first in an approximately 7-part series. Rated T just in case something violent comes up or some of the older characters get into mature situations.)
1. The Train

Scorpius looked silently across the platform, following the gaze of his father. For a moment, he wanted to ask who they were, but then his eyes drifted up to the man's face and he realized: of course. It was Harry Potter. His father never talked about him never talked about much at all from his younger years, actually so he wasn't sure how the two knew each other, but any wizard with two eyes would recognize The Boy Who Lived. He wasn't much of a boy anymore, but Harry Potter and his intimidatingly large family had been featured regularly in Witch Weekly and other such magazines for as long as Scorpius could remember. He'd seen them right smack on the front page of The Daily Prophet and The Wizarding World News enough times that, if he'd ever started counting, he'd have lost track by now.

Somehow he'd forgotten that there were kids in the Potter-Weasley clan that would be in the same year as him at Hogwarts.

Just as he was starting to inspect the dark haired young boy, Scorpius was pulled from his thoughts and into his mother's arms. She smiled warmly down at him. Scorpius couldn't help but notice the hint of sadness in her eyes. "Don't worry," she told him, "We'll write. Every day."

"Every day seems like a bit much," he responded, but his tone was light and his words were given with a smile. His mother laughed in response and straightened up, rubbing his back.

"You'll be having so much fun, time will fly by and before you know it, you'll be home for the holidays," his father added, the corner of his lips barely turned upward yet somehow meeting his eyes. "Stuck with us." He winked.

Scorpius openly rolled his eyes and laughed, shaking his head. As much as he loved his parents, he saw them all the time. He wanted get their goodbyes over with so he could get on the train to Hogwarts: a place he'd never seen before, and so, was eager to explore. "I'll miss you," he told them both, as that was about as close as he could get to 'goodbye' without cutting them off outright.

While his mother moved to hug him again, his father got the hint. With a brief chuckle, Draco ruffled Scorpius's hair and placed a hand on Astoria's back. "Go on," he told his son with a nod, and nudged the back of his head, urging him toward the train. Astoria reluctantly released her son, hands folding against her mouth while her eyes glistened. Scorpius grinned and hopped onto the train, suitcase in one hand, owl in the other. He only glanced back long enough to see his mum press her face against his dad's neck, while his father wrapped one arm around her and waved with the other. Then he tore down the isle in search of his friends.

Meanwhile, Rose and Roxanne Weasley elbowed each other back and forth in their compartment, each girl vying for the optimal waving spot. Albus Potter rolled his eyes, shoving all three of their belongings into the compartment.

"Move over!" Rose shouted, knocking her hip against her cousin's.

"Oh, shove off!" Roxanne pushed at the other girl's shoulder.

"I was here first!"

"Were not!"

"There's room for all three of us at that window," Albus pointed out solemnly.

"Not if I want to see my parents," Roxanne hissed after about four more shoves between them.

Rose scoffed. "Your dad is so tall you can see him from behind me."

Roxanne responded with a well aimed kick to Rose's shin. Rose reached for her wand. Albus was so thrown off by that, that for a second, he just lifted his eyebrows at her. What exactly was she planning to do, poke her with it? They hadn't learned any spells yet. They hadn't even gotten to school! Then again, he thought, knowing Rose, she'd probably read all of the required books in advance, and he wouldn't put it past her to have mastered some jinx or other before they'd even been sorted. Albus shoved himself between the girls. Both were taller than him, but they were so shocked by his intrusion that they nearly fell over when he pushed them apart. Roxanne gaped at him. Rose lifted her hands to fend him off, eyes wide, then bust out laughing. Albus chewed his lip. The train started to pull off from the station, and the girls gasped, immediately squeezing in to lean out the window. Albus tried to open it further, but it wouldn't budge. He thought about asking Rose if she knew a spell to fix that, but figured they didn't have the time right then, and such a thing would be irrelevant later. There probably wasn't one, anyway.

A chorus of 'goodbye's, 'love you's, and 'don't forget to write's filled the train, echoing through the station. Albus jumped to meet his father's reassuring gaze one last time before their faces disappeared along the platform. Rose was the first to retreat from the window she leapt straight into her studies the moment she could no longer make out her family's faces. Roxanne continued to wave for at least a full minute, then paused to compose herself before she sat down. Albus lingered by the window, arms folded under his chin, long after he'd seen the last waving hand disappear into the train. The boy relished the silence, merely watching the blurred scenery until his worries crept up on him again.

His dad told him earlier that the sorting hat took one's preference into account. As much as that reassured him, it wasn't quite enough to stop Albus feeling queasy. James's taunts kept echoing through his mind. All of the Weasleys and Potters for generations had been Gryffindors every relative he'd ever heard of had been in Gryffindor except Aunt Fleur, and he was sure she would have been, if she'd actually attended Hogwarts. Even Uncle Percy was a Gryffindor, and as far as Albus could tell, the man was better fit to Ravenclaw. There was no way he could handle being sorted into another house, away from his family; especially not Slytherin. His father might have said it was okay, that he and mum would still love him, but Slytherin and Gryffindor were rivals enemies.

Albus jumped slightly, a loud THUD and clatter jolting him from his thoughts. He was momentarily grateful for the distraction, but that moment ended quickly with the incomparably shrill scream of Roxanne Weasley.

"FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!" Roxanne shouted at the top of her lungs and, boy, did she have a set of those. There was no wondering what had her so cross; Albus wrinkled his nose at the familiar stench of Stink Pellets. Rose pinched her nose and promptly exited the compartment without a word. Roxanne stormed out soon after her, fists clenched at her sides. Albus tugged the collar of his shirt up over his nose, retrieved the two owl cages, and fled with his wrist pressed desperately to his nostrils; he didn't want the furiously flapping owls to have to suffer through the smell. He looked both ways, but his cousins had disappeared. Of course, it didn't take long for Roxanne's voice to cut through the air, so he followed the shouting.

Three compartments down, Roxanne's brother grinned up at her, one hand waving in front of his nose. "Oooh-ee, someone smells positively putrid," he teased.

"WHAT have I told you about getting into my things?!" Roxanne screeched. "You've RUINED my robes! Now what am I supposed to do?! MERLIN, how DARE you!?" Apparently too worked up to continue with coherent accusations, Roxanne grit her teeth and let out an aggravated battle cry, then launched herself across the compartment.

Fred scrambled back away from her, lifted his hands and kicked lightly in defense. "Whoa, whoa! Whoa! What are you on about, Roxie?"

"You-!" Roxanne started, but was too exasperated by her brother's nerve to finish, and opted for whacking him upside the head then punching him in the arm instead. Was he really about to deny rigging her baggage? The gall!

Directly across from the siblings, James Potter pressed his lips together in a failed attempt to contain his laughter. Roxanne spun on him, and he lifted his palms in surrender, but couldn't stop laughing. Her eyes flared, and she was about to jump on him, too then he managed to ask between cackles, "You didn't happen to open Rose's trunk by mistake, did you?"

The girl was thrown off by the question. "What? No." Roxanne shook her head, brow furrowed.

James laughed, and Fred peered over curiously. Both Scamander twins, who sat calmly on either side of the window at the far end of the compartment, lifted their eyebrows. "Well our dear Freddy here doesn't seem to have a clue what you're on about, but I know for a fact that it was Rose's trunk I fixed with Stink Pellets back on the platform."

Albus was surprised his brother had pulled the prank on their cousin instead of him. If James had done that to Rose, what surprises might await him in unpacking? He thought about leaving everything be until they got to the school, where his things would be unpacked for him, but soon realized he still needed to change into his robes. The boy frowned nervously.

Roxanne blinked, slowly simmering while things clicked into place in her head. Her eyes turned hard. Almost in unison, the group turned their heads to look at Rose, but she was long gone.

The redhead had snuck away as soon as James opened his mouth. She found the Stink Pellets early on, but had thankfully not dropped them and set them off, so with a little careful handling she'd been able to transfer them safely to her cousin's baggage. At the time, she, too, had assumed it was Fred's doing but, in retrospect, she should have seen it coming. Why else would James help her get her trunk onto the train?

She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being chased yet. Hopefully, Roxie would calm down after a few minutes not being able to find her, and by the time they got to Hogwarts, the incident would be forgotten.

Meanwhile, Valerie Greengrass convinced her cousin to check for the trolley. Scorpius Malfoy stepped out of their compartment at the precise moment Rose Weasley rushed by. As neither of them were watching where they were going, the two first years slammed right into each other.

"Oh! S-" Rose started, but when she looked up at the blond, her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry," Scorpius spoke at the same time, but actually managed to get the full word out. "I didn't see you."

"Malfoy," Rose snarled, and shoved away from him.

Scorpius blinked, taken aback by her hostility. What was her problem? They'd never met before! "You know my name?" He tilted his head, not sure how that ended up being the first question he asked, but there it was.

"You," Rose announced, pointing an accusatory finger right in his face, "are my nemesis." After that grand declaration, the girl huffed, and shoved past him, set on finding Dom or Victoire. She'd sit with them until they neared to the school, then go back to her (hopefully deodored and Roxie Rage free) compartment to change into her robes.

Scorpius watched her storm off, her fiery red hair swishing back and forth, and wondered how in Merlin's name he'd managed to land himself a 'nemesis' before the year had even started. 


	2. The Hat

"Relax, Albus," Rose said, pulling him from his thoughts. He'd spend the majority of the boat ride spacing out while his cousins gushed.

"Yeah, we all know James is only joking," Roxanne assured with a smile. "You're Gryffindor as any of us. It's in your blood."

His stomach churned. "My dad said it'd be alright if I _was_ sorted into...Slytherin..."

Roxanne laughed aloud. Rose snarled at her.

"He said the Hat takes your preference into account," he rushed to add.

"Well then what're you worried for?" Rose chided.

Roxanne sat up straighter, tossing a glare Rose's way. "All I know is, if either of yous were a Slytherin, I'd be obligated to kick your arse in Quidditch." She shrugged, smirking. "It'd be a shame."

Rose gasped. "How dare you! Me, a Slytherin? Ha!" She shook her head, mouth sour. "Now I almost hope we do get in different houses, just so I can beat _you_ at Quidditch."

Roxanne laughed, but Albus wasn't cheered. "If you were in another house, it'd be Ravenclaw," he mumbled.

"Exactly," Rose nodded proudly. Then, she hurried to amend, "But I'm not. I'll be in Gryffindor, just like both of you. All Weasleys are in Gryffindor." She side-eyed Roxie. "I'll just be the smartest of the lot, like my mum," she bragged, teasingly.

Roxanne wrinkled her nose. "We'll see about that."

They kept on like that, jabbing back and forth, but Albus fell silent. He got the feeling Rose wasn't joking quite like Roxie was, anyway - most of their family was fiercely competitive, but Rose took it to another level. He wouldn't want to be on her opposing team, that was for sure.

By the time the boats reached their destination, Albus Potter was an obvious ball of nerves. As happy as he was to be there, the closer they got to the castle, the more nervous he became. The place was awe inspiring, but he was too preoccupied to really take it all in and appreciate it. He fidgeted with his robes as Hagrid led first years into the castle, where they were greeted by a dark haired woman in a bright yellow dress. Moyra Macbeth, she introduced herself as: Potions Professor and Head of Hufflepuff House. She started explaining the ceremony and how House Points worked, but Albus tuned her out. He couldn't shake the sense of foreboding.

Roxanne elbowed him in the side, and he looked up with a start just in time to hear "-most points will be awarded the House Cup." Albus blinked, and looked over to Roxanne, wondering what he'd missed. He didn't have time to ask, however, as the professor promptly turned to lead them all into the Great Hall.

Rose held her head high, smirking while they marched between the tables. Roxanne was briefly awed by the bewitched ceiling, and giggled at the reactions of their peers. Albus, on the other hand, wasn't feeling nearly as confident as Rose, and wasn't particularly interested in the floating candles. Sure, there were a lot of them, but it wasn't exactly the first time he'd seen such a thing. No, his gaze wasn't focused on the obvious spectacle - instead, those green eyes slid over to the Gryffindor table, where his brother and all of his older cousins sat. James had his arm around a girl Albus didn't quite recognize, but still managed to use his free arm to taunt his brother, by forming his hand into a sort of snake head and slithering his arm through the air toward the first years, visibly hissing. Fred, who sat beside him, laughed. Louis didn't seem to notice, but Victoire rolled her eyes, and Dominique whacked him in the shoulder with a heavy looking book.

Rose's hand pressed to his stomach, and Albus looked down curiously, then blushed when he realized she'd had to stop him from walking right up to the staff table; or at the very least, into the stool atop which was a rather tall hat. He offered Rose a thankful smile, and she slipped her hand into his. On his other side, Roxanne did the same. As the Sorting Hat sang, Albus hardly listened. He didn't want to think about the subtle differences or far from subtle rivalries between houses. Hearing descriptors did nothing to settle his stomach.

"When I call your name, take a seat right here, and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head." Professor Macbeth cleared her throat, and the sorting began. "Ashbane, Maximillian."

A wide eyed boy with sandy hair stepped forward slowly, hands slipping in and out of his pockets. Rose thought that his small nose made him look quite like a mouse. The Sorting Hat had only been on the boy's head for all of about five seconds when the Great Hall was filled with a resounding "GRYFFINDOR!" The air was full of applause, with loud whoops and hollers from the Gryffindor table. They seemed oddly proud of the fact that the first kid was sorted into their house. Roxanne smiled.

"Avery, Noah," ushered forth a smirking boy, who absolutely swaggered up to the stool.

This time, the Hat had just grazed the kid's dark hair when it shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" As with before, just about everyone clapped, but the Slytherin table's applause was for sure the loudest.

"Basile, Massimo."

Rose tilted her head, surprised that they'd already reached the end of the As. She knew for a fact there was at least twice as many first years in this group than there had been in her parents', for example; something about celebrating the end of the Second Wizarding War and everyone having lots of kids all at once. Looking around, she'd have expected at least three more people to have last names starting with an A, as common as initial as it was. Only two was something she expected from the letter X, or maybe Q.

"RAVENCLAW!"

The shout jarred both Rose and Albus from their thoughts, but for Albus, it didn't last long. Roxanne bounced restlessly from foot to foot, eager to be sorted and join her family. Rose was even more focused on the ceremony, trying to memorize all of the names, faces, and houses just in case the information became useful later. Albus, however, continued to frown without paying a lick of attention. This could easily be the most important moment of his life. If it didn't go the way he wanted, nothing would ever be the same.

He squeezed his cousins' hands.

Rose took note of the fact that it wasn't until "Boulder, Ferbius" that Hufflepuff finally got a new student, and there were far more Bs than there had been As. Albus had no idea how many students had gone, but when Rose started tugging excitedly at his hand, they were at the delicate looking "Dragonthorn, Emrys."

"Emrys was one of the names Merlin went by, did you know that?" she whispered into his ear. "I wonder if she's related. Oh, it'd have to be very distant, but still. Exciting, isn't it? I bet you three sugar quills that girl gets sorted into Slytherin, just like Merlin."

Albus furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief. "Merlin was in Slytherin?"

"Of course! Didn't you know that?" She shrugged, without giving him time to answer. "My dad likes to insist that he was in Gryffindor, because we're obviously the best house-" _What do you mean 'we?'_ Albus thought, _We haven't even been sorted yet_ "-but he wasn't. He was in Slytherin, probably taught by that slimy Salazar himself!" Albus frowned. If the greatest wizard of all time was a Slytherin, then surely it couldn't be that bad a house. Right? "Dragonthorn is such a powerful last name, don't you think? I bet she really is related to Merlin."

"What? _She's_ related to Merlin?" a gap-toothed boy piped in from behind them. He had small eyes and an uneven complexion, although that could have been a thin layer of dirt smudged all over his face. Rose thought he certainly looked like the type to always be covered in some sort of muck.

"Could be," she insisted, puffing out her chest. "I bet she is. It's possible, isn't it?"

"Are you kidding?" He scoffed, "Look at that girl. A pixie could knock her over without even trying. There's no way."

Rose stuck her nose in the air and sung, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Albus thought that was a rather hypocritical instruction from Rose, but before the conversation could continue, Roxanne groaned, "Bloody hell, what's taking so long?"

While they'd all been gabbering away, Emrys Dragonthorn was about to be a Hatstall. Rose's eyes widened slowly at this realization, and a grin spread across her face. Her heart was all aflutter. "Merlin's beard," she said, breathlessly, "this only happens once every fifty years or so, you know that? She really must be something special."

"All I know is, it's annoying," Roxie said, wrinkling her nose.

"It must be embarrassing," Albus said.

"It's history in the making!" Rose insisted.

"Oh, please," the gap-toothed boy scoffed again.

Before he could finish his objection, the Sorting Hat (finally) bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Great Hall erupted; even a few of the first years joined the cheers. Roxanne, for one, was mostly glad the Hat had finally come to a decision so they could get on with the sorting. Rose grinned, whistling in approval, but then stopped short, her face quickly twisting into a scowl. She'd been wrong and now she owed Albus three sugar quills. She hated being wrong even more than she loved sugar quills. Albus smiled at her, and winked. She glared at him, even though it obviously wasn't his fault. He lifted his eyebrows, wondering what she was so mad at him about when she'd forced the bet on him in the first place. Emrys blushed a dusty pink and made her way shyly to the Gryffindor table, where a few particularly rowdy students had leapt atop the table in their enthusiasm. Rose pointed at two of them with a smirk; Albus suddenly became thoroughly invested in the floor, while Roxanne slapped a hand over her face - their brothers were an endless embarrassment.

Professor Macbeth quieted the student body, and the ceremony continued. When they got to "Flint, Ferdinand," the dirty-looking boy from before shoved past Rose and Albus to get to the stool. He was sorted into Slytherin, and tossed a wide grin at Rose on his way to the table. She stuck her tongue out and made a show of gagging. The Great Hall was relatively calm through the next chunk of the list. Rose openly glared at "Malfoy, Scorpius," but he didn't so much as glance her way.

The Sorting Hat soon shouted "SLYTHERIN!" and Scorpius took a seat between Valerie Greengrass and Noah Avery, nodding hello at a few of his cheering housemates.

A handful of students later, and Albus tensed in anticipation. While Professor Macbeth read "Potter, Albus," calmly, the boy was anything but. He completely froze. He had to be shoved forward by Roxanne, for Merlin's sake. Rose said something to him, her tone encouraging, but he didn't register the words. He dragged his feet all the way to the stool, and gulped as he sat down. Albus forced himself not to look toward his family, knowing James would be mocking him from afar, even now. His eyes shifted instead to the Ravenclaw table, where the Scamander twins offered reassuring smiles. Lysander even gave him a thumbs up. His heart raced as the hat settled onto his head, which fell past his eyes, obstructing his view of the Hall.

He heard laughter in his head, and it wasn't his. "Well, well," said a raspy voice. "History does repeat itself." Albus tilted his head, then gasped. The Hat! It was the Sorting Hat, the Sorting Hat was in his head! Why hadn't anyone told him that was something the Hat could do? He turned his eyes upward, although it didn't do much as all he could see was the dark inside of the hat. "Like father like son, I suppose," the hat teased. "Afraid to be in Slytherin, are you? Gonna beg me to put you in Gryffindor, like your brother?"

"Would it work?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "My dad said you'd take my preference into account. Will you?"

"Perhaps," the Hat said. Before Albus could ask what that meant, the Hat continued, "Your father was allowed to choose between two houses because he would fit equally well into both. But would you?"

"I... I don't know," he admitted. The Hat laughed.

"Of course you don't. I do. I see how much you admire bravery, sure, but what about resourcefulness, loyalty?"

"I thought loyalty was a Hufflepuff trait?"

"It is, boy, but Slytherins are loyal in different ways. They're cunning, and value intelligence like Ravenclaws but in a different way. Slytherin could have done your father well, and so it could for you. Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness! Don't you want that?"

Albus's heart rate picked up. "Was Merlin really in Slytherin?"

The Hat laughed, again, and like that, the decision was made. "He was," the Hat said, and immediately afterward, shouted through the Hall, "SLYTHERIN!"

Albus grinned as the Hat was lifted off his head and applause started through the Hall, but it took less than a second for the smile to disappear. His family stared in shock - even James, who'd been taunting him about this very thing for weeks. The reflexive applause died down quickly, giving way to confusion and harsh whispering. A Potter, in Slytherin? The son of Harry Potter, a Slytherin? He cleared his throat, then dragged his feet over to the table, to scattered applause. Roxanne and Rose exchanged glances.

Roxanne was bewildered. For the Weasleys, time stopped, but for everyone else, the Sorting continued. Even Rose stopped paying attention - that was, until "Valentine, Sarah" was sorted into Slytherin, too. She gasped, then, and gripped Roxie's wrist.

"No, no, no," she hissed, and shook her head. "That poor girl."

Roxanne looked at her cousin like she'd grown a third head, but Rose's eyes were trained on Sarah Valentine as she took her seat at the Slytherin table. "What're you on about?"

Rose's mouth had fallen open, but as she turned her face toward Roxanne, she bit her lip. Her eyes still hadn't left Sarah. "She's a muggleborn," Rose muttered under her breath, suddenly hoping no one else had heard, especially any of the girl's housemates.

Roxanne stared at her with wide eyes, stunned for a while. It wasn't until after another student had been sorted that Roxanne shook her head, frowning at Rose incredulously. "How do you know that?"

Rose was too busy trying to decipher the expressions of the Slytherins surrounding Sarah Valentine to process her cousin's question, let alone the next few sorting results. She strained to read their lips and hoped to Merlin the girl's blood status could stay a secret. Considering Rose hadn't even spoken a word to Sarah in her life, though, and even she knew she was muggleborn, it was beyond unlikely. Roxanne nudged her forward, and she jumped, belatedly realizing what was happening.

Professor Macbeth had called her name.

Rose shook it off and mouthed an apology to her cousin as she hopped forward to take a seat. She didn't expect this to take long, and Roxanne would obviously be next, so in a couple minutes they could continue their conversation over at the Gryffindor table. Maybe her other cousins could help her in forming a plan to save Sarah Valentine and Albus from hell.

The Sorting Hat seemed to have other plans. "Oh, my," the Hat spoke into her head, sounding amused. "Yet another Weasley. Very brave, yes, as expected, and loyal..." Rose smirked. She wasn't sure why the Hat bothered listing her qualities to her, they both knew where this was going. It wasn't as though she minded the compliments, though, so she didn't complain. She did, however, lift her eyebrows high - one a little higher than the other - when the Hat continued. "But where to put you? Ooh, what's this? Interesting... Very.. interesting..." The words were drawn out, and Rose narrowed her eyes. What was this thing going on about? "Quite bright, this one, with a keen mind. Very cunning. Not very humble, though, are you, dear?" Rose almost laughed. "No, certainly not a Hufflepuff heart in you. Plenty of nerve, though. Oh, and you are ambitious... Going to be the brightest witch of your age, are you? And with a certain disregard for the rules, to boot. Very, very interesting."

Rose blushed, but rolled her eyes. "Oh, get on with it already."

"Yes," the Sorting Hat chuckled, "I know just what to do with you.." Rose grinned briefly, before it slipped into a cool smirk, and her lashes lowered smugly. "SLYTHERIN!"

Wait, what?

Rose paused, waiting for the Hat to correct its mistake, laughing rudely at her and telling her it was only a joke before sending her on her way. On her way to Gryffindor. Gryffindor, where her family was. Gryffindor, where she belonged.

It didn't happen. The hat was lifted from her head, and still, there she sat. She was only vaguely aware that no one was clapping. What had just happened? Surely, she'd imagined it, her mind playing some sort of sick joke because she was so worried about Albus in Slytherin on his own.

Unable to continue the ceremony while the girl was still sitting there, and concerned by the reactions of, well, everyone, Professor Macbeth bent slightly, voice low. "Weasley, dear, are you alright?" Rose thought she nodded, but she wasn't entirely sure. "Go on, then, dear. Up, up, it's time to find your seat."

Rose forced her gaze toward the Gryffindor table, clinging to one last thread of hope that they'd be sitting there expectantly, waving her over because she'd simply heard differently than the rest of the room and been temporarily deafened to the ovation. The look on her family's faces shattered that dream, and however flimsy a dream it had been in the first place, that in turn shattered her.

Somewhere, two people started clapping. She had no idea who they were. Slowly, others joined, until Rose was lifting herself up and walking to the Slytherin table to the sound of applause. It was steady this time, with no shouting, but no large gaps of still hands either. Her legs and hands shook, and she slumped into her seat between Sarah and Albus. The muggleborn witch smiled at Rose warmly, but didn't get anything in return. Rose was utterly dumbfounded, her brain striking the loudest silence she'd ever experienced. Her hands fell uselessly to her lap. Whatever twisted nightmare this was, she needed to wake up, and fast. "Rose?" Albus asked, "Are you alright?" She didn't answer. He slipped his hand into hers under the table. She squeezed it, but continued to stare blankly at the table in front of them.

"Weasley, Roxanne," Professor Macbeth continued, and Roxanne tore her gaze from her cousins. Suddenly, she was nervous. The possibility that she would be placed in any other house hadn't even crossed her mind before. She was a Gryffindor. She was a Weasley. Weasleys were always in Gryffindor, that was just how it was, how it had always been. They all knew James had been teasing Albus about being sorted into Slytherin, but it was only teasing. It had gotten to Albus, but the rest of them knew there was no truth to James's words. Weasleys and Potters belonged in Gryffindor, together, always.

Now, Albus and Rose were both in Slytherin. Now, she wasn't so sure of herself.

Roxanne swallowed the lump in her throat, grit her teeth, pushed her shoulders back, and stomped up the the stool with crossed arms. "Don't play games with me, you-" she started to tell the Hat, but was cut off.

It took less than a second for the Sorting Hat to release a booming "GRYFFINDOR!"

Roxie made no attempt to hide her relief. She jumped up quickly, without even waiting for the Professor to remove the Hat from her head (Macbeth had to snatch it off her head in a hurry), and ran over to her table with a grin. Gryffindor's ovation was reinvigorated, with a few actually standing up to cheer her on - Fred was one of them, but this time, she wasn't embarrassed.

Headmaster Flitwick gave a speech that Rose paid absolutely no attention to, and then the feast began. Roxanne and the others couldn't help staring at the Slytherin table, but said nothing about it. Rose felt their eyes on her, among others, but didn't look up. Albus let go of her hand and dug in. He politely piled Rose's plate with food - she ate like her dad, most days, not the least bit bothered by how much of a mess she made as she shovelled food into her mouth - but that evening, she didn't eat a bite.


	3. The Snakes

**_September 2nd, 2017_** **| _Early_** ** _Morning_**

It was dark in the Slytherin common room. The sun hadn't risen yet, and moonlight was hardly enough to light up the black lake, which covered the windows, as they were so far underground. The only real light came from a spherical green lantern, which floated just over Rose's shoulder. She'd been there, alone, for hours, practicing spells she just _knew_ she would need if she was going to survive her years here. Sleeping in a room full of Slytherin girls was out of the question for her. So, instead, she'd waited until everyone else was asleep, gathered her books, and slipped down the corridor. She certainly wasn't expecting anyone else to have a similar idea, so when she heard footsteps approach, she curled up as small as she could in her chair and tried to be invisible.

"Hello?" called a boy.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Albus?" she replied, quietly. "What're you doing up?"

"I could ask the same of you," he murmured, one curled fist rubbing his tired eyes. He looked so young then, Rose had to remind herself that they were the same age. "Yaxley snores like he swallowed a muggle garbage disposal," he moaned. "Can't sleep." Albus shuffled forward, peering curiously around his cousin's shoulder, then arched a brow at the display of books, and - more importantly - the single serpent curled up on the table in front of her. "Uh," he started, staring. "What're you doing?"

She fumbled with her wand and cast a quick "Vipera Evanesca," causing the snake to disappear into a puff of black smoke. She chewed her lip for a moment before turning back to her cousin. "I've been practicing."

He pulled another chair closer, then curled up in it, tucking his feet underneath himself. "Why?"

She frowned, brow furrowed. "What do you mean 'why?' We've been thrown in the snake pit here, Al. I'm not giving any of these snakes a chance to strike before I'm prepared to defend myself."

Albus stared at her quietly for a few seconds, then looked to the floor and fidgeted with his sleeves. "...Rose." She glanced over at him. "We're Slytherins."

"You think I haven't noticed that?" Her face pinched, mouth puckered like she'd tasted something sour. "Just because the Sorting Hat decided to have a bit of a laugh this year doesn't mean I'm going to let my guard down around this lot."

"We're part of 'this lot.'"

"We're not!"

He looked to her, chewing his lip. He'd picked that habit up from her - or was it the other way around? "We are. The Hat knew what it was doing. Didn't it tell you why it put you here?"

"What? No." She wrinkled her nose. "It just laughed at me. Laughed! Listed off my traits like it was going to put me in Gryffindor where I belonged, then _laughed_ and shouted 'Slytherin' instead. It laughed! I thought it was joking." She shook her head.

He paused, drawing in a breath. "Well... it told me. I think- I think we belong here, Rose. Maybe... maybe it wasn't what we were expecting, but it fits, doesn't it?" Before she could object, he went on. "Slytherin isn't evil. You told me yourself: Merlin, the greatest wizard to ever live, was in this house. Our house. That's something to be proud of, isn't it?"

Rose set her stubborn jaw and turned away from her cousin, gripping her wand tightly. "I don't trust slimy Slytherins."

Something in Albus cracked, and he shrunk away from her. "I knew you'd think of me differently after I was sorted into Slytherin. I'd thought, though, that with you here, too..." When he looked at her, the betrayal he felt was plain as day. She flinched. "I guess I was wrong." He unfolded himself and padded away, near running back to his room.

Her jaw set for a few seconds, but then she reached out. "Al-" she started, but it was too late. He was already out of earshot. Rose frowned, did a few more practice spells, then gathered her books and went to bed.

* * *

A scream cut through the Slytherin dungeon, drawing all kinds of attention to the first year girls' dorm. Rose, who hadn't slept a wink the whole night, jumped straight to her feet. Valerie Greengrass groaned loudly, rolled over, and pulled a pillow over her head. Ursula Burke was still sound asleep in her bed, making subtle snorting sounds every once in awhile. Lemon Fawley sat slowly up in bed, shoved her frilly lavender sleep mask up past her forehead, and rubbed the sleep from her still closed eyes. "What's going on?" she yawned.

A few feet away in the next bed, Sarah Valentine was shaking violently, staring down at her legs - or, rather, what covered them. She'd woken to the strangest sensation, and when she'd lazily tossed aside her covers, she'd gone from half asleep to three-cups-of-coffee-too-many wide awake in an instant. Her bed was filled with snakes.

Rose couldn't help but notice that their other two roommates, Lucille Zabini and Cordelia Blishwick, were nowhere to be found. She lifted her wand, which she'd kept clutched in her hand the entire time she lay awake in bed, and was about to cast a spell when the door opened. _Speak of the devil. Or think of the demon spawn. Whatever,_ Rose thought with a scowl. The girls leaned up against either side of the door frame, laughing musically with their sparkling eyes locked on Sarah.

"What's the matter, mudblood?" Zabini practically cooed.

"You're not scared of our house mascot, are you?" Blishwick inquired in a sickeningly sweet voice, blinking her wide eyes innocently.

Sarah was too busy hyperventilating to pay them any mind, and had never heard the term before, anyway, so she didn't react at all. Rose, on the other hand, all but growled at the slur. Her arm twitched, as she'd been about to turn on the girls, but at the last second, she thought better of it. She'd get them later, when there were no witnesses. In that moment, though, there were more important things to do; such as deal with the slithering hoard of serpents before Sarah had a heart attack.

"Vipera Evanesca," Rose said with a wave of her wand. A grand total of one snake disappeared in a puff of black smoke. She frowned, and repeated the spell. Bored, Zabini and Blishwick walked back to the common room. Sarah's eyes slowly slipped from the steadily declining population of snakes in her bed, up to Rose. Lemon Fawley, who'd finally managed to open her eyes, gave the scene an amused look - which made Rose want to hex her into next Sunday - then she slipped her mask back over her eyes, and slept.

Valerie Greengrass, on the other hand, gave up on getting back to sleep, and looked at Rose impassively. After a few minutes, when they were down to three snakes, Sarah climbed shakily out of bed, and Valerie tilted her head at Rose. "How did you know how to do that?"

Rose glanced up at her, but focused on getting rid of the last few snakes before she replied bitterly, "Sleep deprivation has its perks."

Valerie pressed her lips together, almost smiling, but didn't press the subject any further. She just stretched her arms above her head with a long, quiet groan, then tossed back her covers and got up to change into her robes.

With the snakes gone, Rose sighed, and looked over at the still shaken Sarah Valentine. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, forehead creased.

Sarah nodded slowly, eyes full of awe, but all she said was a mumbled, "Thanks."

Rose nudged the girl's elbow slightly with her own, offered a small smile, leaned toward her, and lowered her voice secretively. "We'll get them back," she whispered. "Don't worry."

Valerie Greengrass seemed to hear that, as she turned toward them right after Rose finished speaking, but she said nothing. Rose met her eyes briefly and lifted her eyebrows, as if challenging her to do something about it. Valerie showed nothing on her face as she finished dressing, then made her way to the common room, leaving the others behind to plot and snooze.

Scorpius Malfoy leaned against the wall near the entrance of the common room, body tense. The moment he saw his cousin, he sprang up, and took two long strides to catch up with her as she settled onto one of the regal looking emerald meridiennes. "Are you alright?" he questioned quickly, voice low but sharp. "What happened?"

Valerie shrugged and stretched her legs out over the lounge. "Someone pulled a prank on that muggleborn girl. I'm fine." She bent one leg to pat her foot against the cushion, signalling for Scorpius to join her.

"Oh." Scorpius frowned slightly, but sat down on the other end. He had to push her legs away to make room for himself; she swung them back once he was seated and put her feet in his lap. He wrinkled his nose, but let it slide. It was too early for them to bicker, and Valerie was used to getting her way. "Do you know who did it?"

"No," she huffed, and shrugged again. "But I've no idea where they would have gotten so many snakes if they didn't conjure them, so one of the older girls, I'm sure." She pressed her lips together, almost smiling. "Rose Granger-Weasley took care of them. The snakes, I mean."

This piqued his interest. "What?" He lifted his eyebrows and inquired incredulously, "How?"

Valerie leaned forward, as she did when sharing a secret. "A spell. One I've never even heard of, might I add. It sounded sort of like the Vanishing Spell, but wasn't. It did make the snaked disappear, though - one at a time, with a little puff of smoke."

Scorpius was astonished; understandable, considering they hadn't started classes yet, and therefore hadn't learned any spells. Scorpius himself had tried using magic on the train, but hadn't managed to execute a single charm, let alone some specialized version of the Vanishing Spell, which he was sure they weren't to learn for a few more years. "Merlin," he breathed.

"Exactly," Valerie smirked, leaning back. At the sound of laughter, she looked up, and narrowed her eyes at the group in the corner. "Doesn't Blishwick have a sister in Sixth Year?"

"Yeah, Consss..tance. Or something." Scorpius nodded, then lifted his eyebrows slightly. "Why?"

Valerie shrugged, again. "She and Zabini were the first ones up this morning, out of our dorm."

"You think they had something to do with it?"

"They came back when the muggleborn girl screamed, more amused than surprised." After thinking for a second, she added, "Although I suppose that's to be expected. Still, Weasley seemed suspicious of them." Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she pressed her lips together, a small smile finally cracking her features. Scorpius knew what that look meant: she knew something. So he waited until she continued, quietly. "I heard her say she's planning to retaliate."

Scorpius breathed out in disbelief, but a grin was slowly taking over his face. He laughed. "And here I thought I was her nemesis."

"You're her what?" Valerie laughed, eyebrows tugging together in the middle.

"Didn't I tell you?" He gave her a sly look. "We're arch enemies, Weasley and I."

Valerie shook her head, although her smile hadn't yet dissipated. "If that's how you feel about her, why did you start clapping for her after everyone else had stopped?"

Scorpius shrugged. "She declared it on the train. I really had no say in the matter."

"When was this?" Valerie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. As far as she could remember, her cousin had never left her side, and she was certain the Weasley girl hadn't stormed into their compartment or anything.

"Remember, when I popped my head out to check for the trolley? I walked right into her."

"Oh." She thought back, then shrugged dismissively. "I must not have been paying attention."

"Yeah," Scorpius replied slowly, but his attention was no longer focused on his cousin. His eyes slid sideways toward the girls' dorm hall, and he found himself wondering just what Weasley and Valentine were up to. "Must not've been."

* * *

By 9 o'clock that morning, the whole school had heard about the incident in the First Year Slytherin Girls' dorm. Near the end of breakfast, once the crowd had thinned and most of the students had left to explore the castle with full bellies, Roxanne decided she'd had quite enough of her family's unspoken decision to avoid their Slytherin cousins. She stormed toward the Slytherin table, each step full of purpose, dead set on ambushing Rose.

Albus looked frantic, but hadn't entirely made up with Rose yet, so he stood off to the side wondering what he should do.

Victoire was long gone - off to tend to her duties as Head Girl - but after only a second or two of hesitation, Dominique ran after Roxie. Louis watched them looking dumbfounded, unsure if he should follow or not. Fred was clearly worried, but James was perfectly content to sit atop the Gryffindor table and watch things play out from across the room. He'd step in if it looked like things were getting really interesting.

Roxanne slammed her hands down on the table across from where Rose sat, reading. She looked up slowly, first zoning in on the hands, then upward to her cousin's face. She didn't say anything, but if she'd have tried, she would have been promptly cut off by Roxanne's fortissimo. "I heard someone put snakes in Sarah Valentine's bed."

Rose looked back down at her book, her only response a drawn out, "Yep."

Roxanne's eyes flared. Her nails dug into the wood of the table. The scraping sound drew Rose's eyes, and the girl lifted one of her eyebrows just slightly over the other before looking down again. "I heard it was you." The tone was poisonous, and it was clear Roxanne was on the edge of exploding.

Rose sighed, but didn't look up. "Nope."

Albus stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, but Roxanne cut him off with a sharp, "Oh? Who was it then?"

That had Rose's lips twitching up into a smirk, and her blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Two girls who are going to regret that decision for the rest of their lives."

Roxanne blinked, and her head jerked back. She slowly straightened up, and crossed her arms. Albus looked uneasily toward his brother, who hopped off the table and sauntered toward them. Fred arched an eyebrow high at James, but soon followed, and Louis, while looking somewhat reluctant and having to take a deep breath to steel himself first, trailed behind them. While the whole family knew angering Roxanne wasn't smart, they also knew that her anger burned bright and fast. She had a short fuse and jumped to conclusions, but she always settled down quickly once she'd gotten it out of her system. Dominique's temper was similar in variety, although her attacks were usually more thought out, and more violent, than Roxie's.

Rose, on the other hand, held grudges. Her anger simmered under the surface, like indestructible embers. She pretended everything was fine, all the while strategizing her revenge until finally those embers stirred up and relit the flames. She struck back tenfold. Albus had always harbored a fear of her in a way, because of it, but also recognized that it made her a strong ally; and, now, he wondered if it was one of the many things that made her a Slytherin. Her family, thankfully, seemed to be immune to the worst of her; but if the offense was bad enough, Rose could hold on to her anger for an indefinite amount of time, and keep up a steady stream of retribution all the while. Part of Roxanne wondered the same as Albus, but while it was a somewhat comforting theory for him, the thought churned Roxie's stomach so much, she pushed it out of her mind.

Rose tossed red curls over her shoulder and lifted her chin, finally meeting Roxanne's eyes. "So," she started, and looked from Roxanne to Dominique, then back. "Who wants to help me destroy two particularly poisonous snakes?"

"Now that," spoke up a grinning James, as he'd reached them just in time to overhear that last sentence, "sounds like something I can get behind."


End file.
